AP Entertainment
AP-Entertainment
Smith, ESPN agree to 5-year extension. The deal is worth at least $100 million, AP source says
ESPN says it has agreed to a five-year extension with Stephen A. Smith after nearly a year of negotiations. ESPN did not announce financial terms but a person with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press that it is at least $100 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss financial matters. Smith’s contract with ESPN was slated to expire in July. The extension makes Smith ESPN’s highest-paid talent. Fox Sports NFL analyst Tom Brady remains the top sports host or commentator with a 10-year deal that averages $37.5 million per year.
Music Review: The Lady Gaga you loved and missed returns with pop ‘Mayhem’
NEW YORK (AP) — Lady Gaga has returned. The pop star’s latest album is “Mayhem.” In her review, Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman writes that Gaga has reclaimed her early dark-pop sensibilities and ushered them into her 2025 reality. Lady Gaga sounds like she is having fun here. Sherman says that “Mayhem” will sound familiar to Gaga listeners, there’s no doubt about that. But they will hear an evolved version. “Mayhem” is not an easy play at nostalgia. It is also not an artist appeasing contemporary trends. It is Gaga staying true to herself, as she has been known to do.
Broadway’s ‘Wicked’ welcomes Lencia Kebede, its first pioneering full-time Black Elphaba
NEW YORK (AP) — Green tears were flowing when Lencia Kebede made history this week on Broadway, becoming the first Black actor to assume the role of Elphaba full time in the Broadway company of “Wicked.” Kebede, a first-generation Ethiopian-American from Los Angeles, spent five years touring with “Hamilton,” most recently in the role of Angelica Schuyler. Stepping into “Wicked” on Tuesday marked her Broadway debut. In the audience were some 60 family and friends — mom and her aunts and uncles, her many cousins, her boyfriend, pals from other shows, her agent and casting directors, even her college choir director. The actor calls the experience “electric.”
Investigation advances into Gene Hackman’s mysterious death, with update by New Mexico authorities
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Authorities are preparing to reveal more information about the investigation into the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa. The couple’s partially mummified bodies were discovered last week at their home in the hills of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hackman was 95 and Arakawa was 65. Authorities have scheduled a briefing Friday to provide an update on the case. Officials say they do not suspect foul play and testing for carbon monoxide poisoning was negative. Arakawa’s body was found with an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on the bathroom counter. Hackman was found in the home’s entryway. A dog that was in a kennel near Arakawa also died.
‘With Love, Meghan,’ the Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix series, renewed for a second season
LOS ANGELES (AP) — There’s going to be more “With Love, Meghan,” the Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix lifestyles series. The streaming service announced Friday that a second season of the show, which debuted this week, has already been shot. She has said the show, which includes her chatting with celebrity pals, is not about a quest for perfection but more about finding joy in the little things. No premiere date has been set, but Netflix said the second season would air this fall. The Duchess was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in Montecito, California, with Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and their two children.
The New Mexico judge who presided over Alec Baldwin’s trial is set to retire
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico state district judge who presided over the widely publicized trial of actor Alec Baldwin for a fatal movie set shooting is getting ready to retire from the bench. Court administrators announced Mary Marlowe Sommer’s upcoming retirement on Thursday. She will step down at the end of May after serving 15 years on the First Judicial District Court in Santa Fe. Her decades-long career also has included work as a law clerk and a defense attorney. Marlowe Sommer says it’s been an honor and a privilege but that it’s time to step away from what she called “the hectic schedule of court business.”
Blake Lively’s lawyers seek tight hold over release of information in lawsuit against Justin Baldoni
NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer for actor Blake Lively wants a federal judge to prevent defendants including “It Ends With Us” costar Justin Baldoni from getting personal or intimate information about her or other celebrities as her sexual harassment lawsuit advances toward trial. Meryl Governski, representing Lively, told Judge Lewis J. Liman in a telephone conference Thursday that some materials must be shared only between lawyers. The judge didn’t immediately rule. Lively sued Baldoni, his production company and others in New York in late December, seeking unspecified damages. Baldoni countersued, accusing Lively of defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.
Movie Review: ‘Eephus’ is the best baseball movie since ‘Moneyball’
Carson Lund’s “Eephus,” as leisurely as a late-August double header, simply unfolds along with a men’s recreational baseball game. Except to chase a foul ball or two, the movie stays within the lines of their field. It spans nine innings, with dugout chatter and fading light. In this slow-pitch gem of a baseball movie – a middle-aged “Sandlot” – time is slipping away, but they’re going down swinging. In AP Film Writer Jake Coyle’s review, he writes that “Eephus’ is the best baseball movie since ”Moneyball.” To call this a field of dreams would be pushing it. But it’s a lovely way to pass some time.
Music Review: Blackpink’s Jennie steps out on her own with debut solo album, ‘Ruby’
NEW YORK (AP) — Seven years ago, global pop phenomenon Jennie became the first member of the K-pop group Blackpink to release solo music. On Friday she becomes the latest to drop a debut solo studio album. It is called “Ruby.” It’s a kaleidoscope of different sounds for Jennie, full of incongruous, polished pleasures, The Associated Press’ Maria Sherman writes in her review. As a whole, Jennie’s “Ruby” is a fine re-introduction to the Blackpink superstar. The songs are strong and diverse but maybe not wholly distinctive. It is reason to be excited for her future solo work and where she may go from here.
This portrait may be the only one of England’s 9-day queen painted during her lifetime
LONDON (AP) — Research by the charity English Heritage suggests it may have found a portrait of England’s shortest-reigning queen Lady Jane Grey. It said Friday that there is “compelling” evidence that a portrait loaned from a private collection could well one of Jane. If true, it would be the only portrait of Jane painted during her lifetime. Jane governed for nine days in July 1553. She was deposed nine days later after her support melted away in the wake of her older sister Mary’s uprising. Jane was subsequently convicted of treason and sentenced to death. She is undoubtedly one of the most tragic figures in English regal history.
